The Keys to freedom

Haunted

LAST YEAR

Oz sat on the edge of her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if that alone could hold her together. But nothing could stop the weight pressing down on her chest, the invisible hands tightening around her throat, suffocating her beneath the relentless pounding of memories she couldn't escape.

The scent of him still clung to her skin, phantom hands pinning her down, his breath hot against her ear. No matter how much she scrubbed, no matter how much time passed, he was still there haunting her, tormenting her. It never stopped. The cycle was endless, a slow unraveling that left her hollow, empty.

She wanted it to stop. She needed it to stop. But how? How could she make the screaming in her head go silent?

Her hands trembled as she reached for a pen, her fingers cold and unsteady. With a slow, deliberate motion, she pressed it to paper, writing two simple words.

I'm sorry.

She placed the note on her desk, the words staring back at her, final and absolute. Then, a thought struck her like ice to the spine—who would find it?

Who would find her?

She shook the thought away and moved to the bathroom, her heart pounding with each step. She sat on the edge of the tub as she filled it slowly, steam rising and enveloping her in a false sense of comfort. She locked the door, her mind a storm as she prepared for what felt like the only way to silence it all. She felt weak, she felt pathetic, but everything inside her, screamed, "it's the only way to make it stop," she felt like every second she was being suffocated, as if she was dangling from a noose and couldn't get out. And this would finally cut the rope and free her,

Once the tub was full, she slipped in fully clothed, the water embraced her like a shroud. Holding her breath, she sank beneath the surface, the weight of the water dulling the chaos around her. It was peaceful, almost serene, as the world above faded away. For the briefest moment, she found it—that elusive silence she had been chasing. No noise, no pain, just stillness.

But then, her lungs began to burn, a sharp, searing ache demanding air. Panic crept in, and with it came a flood of memories crashing through her mind like a tidal wave. Her mother leaving, the unfulfilled yearning for her father's love, the breakup with Pyke. Each recollection made her tighten her grip on tub as she pushed herself harder to stay beneath the water and clench her eyes even tighter.

Just as the darkness began to close in threatening to keep her forever the sweet and loving memories of her brother and her friends came, her heart ached as the images flashed through her head and regret overwhelmed her. What was she doing? She couldn't leave them like this.

She heard a distant pounding at the door.

"Oz!" It was Grayson, he must saw the note. His was voice filled with urgency. Panic coursed through her, but the water held her captive as she began to slip away.

"Please!" he shouted, desperation lacing his tone as the water ran under the bathroom door.

The sound of splintering wood echoed in the bathroom as he kicked the door down. He rushed in, his eyes wide with fear as he spotted her submerged in the tub. Without a second thought, he lunged forward, pulling her limp body out of the water.

Gasping for air, Oz coughed and sputtered. Grayson held her close, tears streaming down his face as he cupped her cheeks and brushed the wet hair from her eyes. "Look at me," he urged, his voice steady despite the panic.

Gasping for breath, she found his gaze but couldn't find any words. "I'm calling an ambulance," he said, beginning to stand, but she grabbed his wrist, shaking her head vigorously. He knelt beside her again, confusion on his face. "Why would you do that?"

She shook her head again as tears pulled from her eyes. He grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to his chest as she sobbed violently. "Don't ever do that again," he whispered fiercely. "I don't know what you're going through, but you're not alone. You never were."

As she clung to him, the pain didn't vanish, but for the first time in a long while, she felt a flicker of hope, because she realized she wasn't alone.